Electron emission from silver under heavy atomic and molecular ion bombardment

Abstract

The secondary electron yield from a polycrystalline silver target has been measured as a function of ion energy in the range 10–160 keV using Se + and Te + ions, and in the range 20–320 keV using Se 2 + and Te 2 + ions. The yields for the corresponding atomic and molecular ions, with equal energy per atom, have been compared. At low energies per atom the ratio between the yields for the molecular and atomic ions was equal to two while at higher energies the ratio between the yields decreased with energy. An explanation of this dependence is obtained by investigating how the charge states of the atomic molecular constituents affect the energy deposited in electronic excitation.